noun
skulduggery
Skulduggery (noun) means a dishonest trick or scheme.
noun
1
A dishonest trick or scheme.
"The reports in his briefase had no bearing on war, peace, the dope traffic, the hydrogen bomb, or any of the other international skulduggeries that he associated with pursuers, men in trench coats, and wet sidewalks."
— John Cheever, The Five-Forty-Eight (1954)
2
Behaviour that is dishonest or underhand.
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like skulduggery.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Etymology
An alteration of Scots sculduddery, sculdudrie (“adultery, unchaste behaviour; obscenity, lewdness”), of long-uncertain origin (probably a euphemism). Relation to skull is speculative at best and likely folk etymology. The American spelling skullduggery is in keeping with terms such as skillful and willful.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for skulduggery
See all rhymes for skulduggery →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of skulduggery?
"skulduggery" (noun) means a dishonest trick or scheme.
What is another word for skulduggery?
Other words for "skulduggery" include slickness, trickery, skullduggery.
What is the opposite of skulduggery?
Opposites of "skulduggery" include honesty, probity.
What are the different meanings of skulduggery?
"skulduggery" has 2 main meanings: 1. A dishonest trick or scheme; 2. Behaviour that is dishonest or underhand.
